Web-enabled conferencing and meeting implementations with flexible user calling and content sharing features

ABSTRACT

A plurality of embodiments is presented in relation to conferencing solutions. Consistent with an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method is implemented by a computer processing arrangement. The method provides conferencing services between participants. A web-accessible virtual meeting interface is provided. Meeting scheduling data is received from the virtual meeting interface. The meeting scheduling data includes participant identifying information and meeting time information. At least one telephone call is initiated. The telephone call is responsive to the meeting time information and the participant identifying information and for the at least one participant identified by the identifying information. In response to the at least one participant answering the telephone call, audio from the telephone call is merged with audio from other participants. The merged audio is provided to the at least one participant and the other participants.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to conferencing g and meetingmechanisms and to systems, methods and devices for facilitating meetingsconducted using data shared over the Internet.

BACKGROUND

The ability to conduct productive and efficient meetings can be animportant aspect of the success of the related endeavor, whether theendeavor is business, learning or otherwise. The ability to easilyconvey different types of information in an effective manner to andbetween participants is paramount to the success of a meeting. Keepingmeetings productive and efficient is difficult enough when each of theparticipants is physically at the same location. Many meetings, however,include at least one participant from a remote location. In extremecases, the entire meeting can consist of remote participants. Remoteconferences present a host of issues in addition to those issues thatpresent themselves in an in-person meeting.

A number of remote meeting solutions attempt to address one or more ofthese issues. Telephone conferencing allows multiple participants tospeak with one another. Computer applications allow remote participantsto view slides, shared applications and other data. Coordination ofmeeting times and connection information is sometimes implemented usingcalendaring software and/or email. These and other solutions, however,are often frustrated by a vast array of different meeting requirements.These requirements include types of data to be shared, coordination ofparticipants from different locales, different relationships betweenparticipants, technology capabilities of devices used to share meetingdata, technical prowess of the participants and other aspects.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to remote meetingsolutions that address challenges including those discussed above, andthat are applicable to a variety of web-sharing applications, devices,systems and methods. These and other aspects of the present inventionare exemplified in a number of implementations and applications, some ofwhich are shown in the figures and characterized in the claims sectionthat follows.

Consistent with an embodiment of the present disclosure, a meetingsystem is implemented that includes a computer server arrangementincluding at least one processor. The computer server arrangement isconfigured to provide a web-accessible virtual meeting interface.Meeting scheduling data is received from the virtual meeting interface.The meeting scheduling data includes participant identifying informationand meeting time information. In response to the meeting timeinformation and the participant identifying information, a plurality oftelephone numbers a provided for participants to dial into the meeting.Audio from telephone calls established by participant calling theplurality of telephone numbers is merged with audio from otherparticipants. The merged audio is provided to the participants.

Consistent with another embodiment of the present disclosure, a meetingsystem is implemented that includes a computer server arrangement havingat least one processor. The computer server arrangement is configured toprovide a web-accessible virtual meeting interface. Meeting schedulingdata is received via the virtual meeting interface. The meetingscheduling data includes participant identifying information and meetingtime information. In response to the meeting time information and theparticipant identifying information, audio connections are establishedfor participants of the meeting. Audio from the established audioconnections is merged and provided to the participants over theestablished audio connections. Through the web-accessible virtualmeeting interface, a content sharing window is provided that definescontent for sharing. Using the web-accessible virtual meeting interface,the defined content is shared with participants of the meeting.

Consistent with an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method isimplemented by a computer processing arrangement. The method providesconferencing services between participants. A web-accessible virtualmeeting interface is provided. Meeting scheduling data is received fromthe virtual meeting interface. The meeting scheduling data includesparticipant identifying information and meeting time information. Atleast one telephone call is initiated. The telephone call is responsiveto the meeting time information and the participant identifyinginformation and for the at least one participant identified by theidentifying information. In response to the at least one participantanswering the telephone call, audio from the telephone call is mergedwith audio from other participants. The merged audio is provided to theat least one participant and the other participants.

The above summary is not intended to describe each illustratedembodiment or every implementation of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be more completely understood in consideration of thefollowing detailed description of various embodiments of the inventionin connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a virtual meeting system diagram consistent with anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 depicts a flow diagram for establishing and conducting a meeting,consistent with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 depicts a data flow diagram for virtual meeting hostingimplementations involving multiple meetings, consistent with embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 depicts a user interface that relates to selection of meetingdetails, consistent with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 depicts a user interface that relates to setting of meetingoptions, consistent with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 depicts a user interface that relates to selection of dial inmeeting number(s), consistent with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 7 depicts a user interface that provides for the addition ofparticipants and the selection of a host and a moderator, consistentwith an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 depicts a user interface for managing, viewing and configuringmeetings, consistent with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 depicts options for connecting to audio portions of a meeting,consistent with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 depicts an interface for an active meeting, consistent with anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 depicts an interface that is provided to allow for contentsharing, consistent with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 shows an example use of the content sharing box, consistent withan embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 13 shows an example of a virtual meeting architecture, consistentwith an embodiment of the present disclosure.

While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternativeforms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in thedrawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood,however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to theparticular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is tocover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling withinthe spirit and scope of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to remote meetings andrelated approaches, their uses and systems for the same. While thepresent invention is not necessarily limited to such applications,various aspects of the invention may be appreciated through a discussionof various examples using this context.

The present disclosure includes a discussion of meeting/conferencingsolutions that are collectively referred to as a “virtual meeting”solution. The term virtual meeting implies that the participants arevirtually attending by virtue of the physical absence from a centralmeeting location; however, the present disclosure is not so limited.Indeed various aspects of the present disclosure can be implemented withall meeting participants located within the same room.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a virtual meetingsolution that provides a number of meeting features to users ofweb-browsing applications (e.g., Microsoft's Internet Explorer®,Firefox®, Google's Chrome and Apple's Safari®). Particularimplementations afford the participants the meeting features as part ofa solution that runs within the browsers (e.g., in the absence oflocally installed applications or plug-ins). Other aspects relate toallowing users to establish a meeting, start a meeting and/or join ameeting by selection of a single icon (e.g., one click of mouse).

Consistent with other embodiments of the present disclosure, the virtualmeeting solution facilitates establishing telephonic communications withparticipants. The telephonic communications can include, withoutlimitation, calling participants usinglandline/Public-Switched-Telephone Network (PSTN) connections, cellularconnections, Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) connections, streamingvideo feeds and combinations thereof. Specific implementations allow thedialing times for the participants to be scheduled ahead of timeaccording to the meeting start time or other criteria. Aspects of thevirtual meeting solution allow the dial times to be controlled in avariety of different manners. For instance, the participants can selectthe time they wish to be called. Another option allows the meetingorganizer to specify the call times for one or more of the participants.

In certain implementations the virtual meeting solution implements acall-profile to contact meeting participants. One aspect of thecall-profile includes auto-retry parameters that can be implemented inthe event that a dial-out attempt fails to reach a particularparticipant. These auto-retry parameters can include the intervalbetween retries, the number of retries and alternate numbers to call.The alternate call numbers can be implemented as call-preference orderthat the virtual meeting traverses when attempting to contact aparticipant. Other aspects of the call-profile can indicate the bestnumber to reach a particular participant as a function of time, type ofmeeting or other factors.

Embodiments of the present disclosure also relate to aspects relating togiving meeting participants the ability to dynamically select otherparticipants that are to be contacted. The virtual meeting solutionautomatically calls the selected participants to add them to the ongoingmeeting. This allows for a meeting to grow naturally by addingparticipants as necessary without requiring contacting the participantin some other manner to have them call into the meeting. In certainimplementations, the called party is absolved from having to enter apass code. The meeting can remain relatively secure by using the callednumber as a confirmation of the caller's identity. The virtual meetingis particularly powerful in that it provides for International callingof participants.

While not limited thereto, the virtual meeting solution can be used asan enhanced telephone service. In this regard, an individual can use thevirtual meeting solution to call individuals and talk using voicecommunications only; however, the virtual meeting solution allows forthe individuals to use the various other data sharing and participantadding features at any point in the conversation. As such, the virtualmeeting solution can be particularly useful for impromptu meetingsand/or sharing of data between individuals on a telephone call.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to the use of a virtual meetingsolution that coordinates voice data to and from the multipledistributed call points within a single meeting. This coordination canbe implemented, for instance, using VoIP services so as to controllong-distance-type fees. Aspects of the present disclosure use variousquality of service (QoS), quality of experience (QoE) and/or monetarycost considerations to determine the preferred calling solution.

Consistent with one embodiment of the present disclosure, the virtualmeeting solution modifies the Caller Id information to provide a calledparticipant with information about the meeting. This information caninclude the name of the meeting, the purpose of the meeting, the sourceof the meeting (e.g., hosting business) or connection information usefulfor accessing the meeting through a web browser.

A particular implementation of the present disclosure relates to a userinterface that operates native to a web-browser. Such an implementationallows participants to fully participate in the meeting without firstdownloading and/or installing customized software. This is particularlyuseful as participants can be dissuaded from installing such softwaredue to security risks of third-party software. This also lowers thebarriers (e.g., for time, effort and technical knowledge) for meetingparticipants. For instance, a user does not need to install anapplication for each different computer/device. Moreover, for securityreasons many businesses prohibit their employees from installingapplications on their computers, thereby introducing another barrier topotential participants. In another instance, plug-ins often cease towork properly when the underlying browser version changes, and thus mayrequire upgrading.

Consistent with an implementation of the present disclosure, the userinterface operates native to a web-browser by implementing themeeting/interface functionality within a browser supported codingenvironment. A specific example is a Flash framework in which a numberof applications are written using Flash (e.g., Version-10).

Data transfers from within the web-browser environment can beimplemented using a number of suitable transmission techniques andprotocols. A few, non-limiting, examples include HTTP/HTTPS transfers aswell as RTP, RTSP, RTMP (Real-Time Messaging protocol) and RTMPT (RTMPthrough HTTP Tunneling).

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed toward sharingparticipant content. The content sharing can be implemented asfiles/documents that are accessible from within the web-browserinterface. Participants can upload content to be shared with otherparticipants. This uploading can be controlled by the meeting organizer,who has the ability to set upload restrictions as desired.

Another sharing aspect of the present disclosure allows one or moreparticipants to share an active view of their own display screen. Forinstance, a participant can share his entire desktop, allowing otherparticipants to see everything displayed on his computer screen. This,however, is not always desirable as there may be additional informationdisplayed that is superfluous to the meeting, private to the sharingparticipant or confidential. Thus, a particular implementation allowsfor the sharing participant to select specific aspects for sharing. Inone instance, the selection can be limited to a particular window orapplication. In another instance, a customizable floating box/window isprovided that can be moved over any portion of the display so as todefine the portion that is to be shared. Controls allow for the sharingto be stopped, started and/or paused as desired. In certainimplementations of the present disclosure, a participant can relinquishcontrol over a shared document to one or more remote participants.Combinations thereof are also possible, such as limiting sharing to aspecific window, further limited by a customizable selection therein.

The present disclosure also relates to efficient and intuitivemechanisms for starting the meeting. In particular implementations, ameeting can be started by clicking on a single icon (e.g., an iconwithin a calendar displaying the meeting). The meeting starts accordingto default conditions, preset conditions, prompts for start criteriaand/or uses predictive start criteria. The start aspects can includeautomatic calling of participants, merging of participants into a singleteleconference, starting video feed, providing shared documents and/orsharing desktop. This can be particularly useful for reoccurringmeetings having similar meeting setup requirements. The virtual meetingsolution allows the meeting organizer and participants to specify thatthe meeting is to be reoccurring and automatically copy startupparameters. The meeting organizer can also select previously definedmeeting parameters (e.g., by selecting and copying a prior meeting) whensetting up a meeting.

A particular implementation of such a one-click meeting feature allowsthe participants to first click create the meeting and then to start acreated meeting using a single click. Each participant can join themeeting using a single click. The simplicity of such a system isfacilitated by the various automated connection and sharing featuresdiscussed in more detail herein.

Particular implementations allow a meeting organizer to providemultiple/flexible call-in number for participants. The numbers can beselected based upon telephone-long distance call areas to allowparticipants to call-in without incurring long distance fees. Otheroptions allow the meeting organizer to specify toll-free numbers or evencharge numbers. Yet another possibility is to allow users to connectdirectly over the Internet (e.g., using VoIP and/or streaming video).This can be implemented using, for instance a computer that has amicrophone-speaker combination and access to the Internet, although manyother devices provide VoIP-type capabilities.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to assignable control ofvarious meeting rights to participants by a moderator/meeting owner. Thevirtual meeting solution can be configured to allow for significantflexibility regarding assignable rights. For instance, a first group ofparticipants can be allowed full audio rights, including the ability tolisten and speak as part of the meeting. A second group of participantscan be given limited (e.g., listen only) or no audio rights. Otherrights include the ability to invite new participants and/or to haveparticipants be called to join the meeting. One or more participants canalso be given remote control over another participant's computerallowing them to present shared content therefrom. In a particularimplementation, different control profiles can be established forcontrol over a set of such aspects. Participants can then be groupedaccording to the desired profile. In one instance, this can beimplemented by providing a viewable list of participants and the controlprofiles. A moderator can then move participants into the proper controlprofile by dragging and dropping the participant into the proper controlprofile.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to audio/video recordingsof a meeting session. In one implementation, the recording includesinputs from each of the participants. This can be accomplished byreceiving audio/video data streams from each participant and mergingthem into a single recording. In other instances, input from a subset ofparticipants can be excluded from the recording. The recordings can thenbe stored for access via a web browser including, but not limited to, aweb browser running a version of the virtual meeting solution. Thevirtual meeting solution can store a link to the meeting in a calendar,allowing a participant to access the recording from a calendar where themeeting was originally scheduled from.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to interactions betweenmeetings and other applications for communication and/or scheduling. Forinstance, the virtual meeting solution can be configured to synchronizeand otherwise integrate with a number of calendaring solutionsincluding, but not limited to, a Microsoft Exchange server, Googlecalendar program or other calendaring programs. The virtual meetingsolution also handles meeting requests from various sources using, forinstance, the iCalendar (.ics) protocol. The invitations can be receivedas email, hyperlinks, or other mechanisms. A virtual meeting applicationcan be installed to interface with an application programming interface(API) for a particular calendar program. When a meeting is added orotherwise detected the virtual meeting application provides options tosetup a virtual meeting using the existing meeting details as thedefault meeting settings, which can be modified thereafter. Thus,existing meeting participants can be imported into a virtual meeting byuploading to a virtual meeting server hosting the meeting details. Thisis particularly useful for providing a seamless meeting schedulingbetween multiple applications.

In one instance, a virtual meeting application accesses contact listsfrom email, telephone or other programs and adds the contacts to thevirtual meeting solution. The contacts can then be used at any locationthrough the web interface.

In other implementations contact lists can be developed using socialwebsite lists, such as those provided by Facebook®, Linked-In®,Twitter®, Flixster® or Myspace®. An application exports names and otheravailable information from the social website. Other applicationsautomatically invite members of groups to associate meetings.

One embodiment of the virtual meeting application is implemented withonline dating services. A consideration for such services is maintaininga level of anonymity while providing a manner with which potentialcouples can communicate. For instance, a first participant may wish tospeak with another participant before deciding to commit to a date. Thedating service provides the name and profile of the participants, butdoes not disclose the telephone number. Nevertheless, the virtualmeeting application can be used to call one of the participants. Unlikevarious other implementations discussed herein, the actual telephonenumber is not displayed to the calling party/meeting organizer.Moreover, the called party can choose to call back using the virtualmeeting solution, also without direct knowledge of the other party'stelephone number. Either party can deny further calls from the othershould they decide not to follow-up with further communications. Thus,the parties can have several conversations before they provide personalinformation, such as their respective telephone numbers. Moreover, theparties can use video, share documents, use chat services, and sharevarious types of information (e.g., links to possible options meetingplaces) through the use of the virtual meeting solution.

Particular implementations synchronize meetings information with acalendar-providing server application, such as using Internet MessageAccess Protocol (IMAP), Post Office Protocol (POP, POP3) or otherprotocols to access data stored on an email/calendar (e.g.,Microsoft-Exchange) server. This can include downloading or uploadingmeeting schedules from the server.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to simultaneous meetingsbeing implemented for a single attendee. The hosting meeting serverrecognizes that an attendee is listening to multiple meetingssimultaneously and merges the audio into a single audio transmission.The attendee can dynamically mute or adjust the volume for one or moreof the meetings thereby allowing for movement between the two meetings.

Consistent with another embodiment of the present disclosure, thevirtual meeting solution provides meeting participants with the optionto multicast the meeting to others. The multicast of the meeting can beimplemented so as to originate from the server or from the meetingparticipant's remote device as selected by the user. Each user cancontrol the specifics of what is multicast including the addition ofcontent to the multicast stream, such as a personal commentary on thehappenings of the meeting. Certain implementations provide a centralizedlocation from which meeting participants can post their multicast streaminformation for others to view and select.

In some instances, the virtual meeting solution incorporates the abilityto share images, audio and other data-types through the chat portion ofthe interface. As the chat interface allows for private messagingbetween less than all of the meeting participants, this functionalityallows for meeting participants to share information without clutteringthe main meeting content with information from various participants thatmay wish to share information with each other, but not with the entiretyof participants in the meeting.

Other aspects of the present disclosure relate to subscribing to meetinggroups. After such a subscription is implemented, the subscribers arethereafter automatically invited to meetings scheduled for the meetinggroup. In this manner, the meeting organizer does not need to invite, orotherwise keep track of, the list of participants for the meeting.Instead, meeting participants control whether or not they will beinvited to a meeting. For various implementations, access to publishedmeetings can be controlled/allowed as a function of whether or not asubscriber has paid for access to the meeting.

A relatively powerful application of such a participant-controlledsubscription model relates to a meeting board for which potentialparticipants can visit to identify and subscribe to meetings for whichthey are interested. In addition to subscribing to individual meetings,the participants can subscribe to meeting groups to thereafter beautomatically invited to meetings falling into the particular groups.The meeting board can be accessed through a website. Meeting organizerscan publish meetings and meeting groups for participants to review andsubscribe. Meeting participants access the meeting board, search fordesired content, and subscribe thereto. Meeting organizers can choose tohave a notification of their published meetings sent to potentialparticipants so that they are made aware of the meeting. The publishedmeetings can each be given a distinct website address that can beprovided as part of the invitation and can be used by the meetingorganizer to direct participants to the proper published meeting.

A particular implementation of such a subscription-based model isparticularly useful for teaching applications. Students can besubscribed to meeting groups according to classes for which they areregistered. When a teacher or other meeting organizer schedules ameeting, they can designate the group for which the meeting is attended.Subscribers of the meeting are automatically invited to the meeting.This can also include automatically calling the meeting participants atthe meeting time, sending an email of meeting details, adding themeeting to calendar programs, as well as other aspects discussed herein.To facilitate control of which participants are subscribed to whichgroups, a simple interface is provided for meeting groups to begenerated, participant lists to be updated and for meeting organizers tohave access rights to create meetings for the appropriate groups. Thisinterface allows for uploading of data formatted such that it definesgroups and associated participants.

Other implementations of a subscription-based model are particularlyuseful for public meetings, such as government meetings/hearings thatare open to the public. The meeting can be opened (e.g., during aspecified time period) to the participants to allow for feedback. Thiscan be controlled by queuing remote-participants that requestparticipation (e.g., participants that wish to ask questions or provideinput). Each remote-participant can be given an opportunity to speak orotherwise provide input.

A specific implementation relates to integrating meeting functions withsocial websites. Social websites (e.g., Facebook or MySpace) oftenprovide users with the opportunity to schedule events, to invite friendsand/or to establish groups that others can join. Aspects of the presentdisclosure relate to integration of the virtual meeting solution withsuch social websites. In one implementation, an application can beintegrated with the social website. The application can allow aparticipant to create an event within the social website parameters.When users are invited and/or join the event, the applicationautomatically adds the users to the virtual meeting information. Whenthe event time is reached, the virtual meeting can establish connectionswith the users by accessing the virtual meeting information andresponding accordingly. In another implementation, users can joingroups. When new events/meetings are created for the groups, theassociated users can be automatically added to the events/meetingswithin the virtual meeting environment.

In a particular implementation of the present disclosure, securityinformation is passed from the social website to the virtual meetingsystem to confirm the participants' identities. For instance, socialwebsites often use username and password security features. The virtualmeeting system can verify a user's identity upon receiving verificationfrom the social websites. This can be particularly useful for reducingthe number of times a participant must provide security information andfor limiting electronic meetings to be generated nefariously (e.g.,spamming meetings from unknown persons).

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to feedback mechanisms forparticipants of a meeting. A particular, non-limiting example, involvesa survey that is presented to meeting participants after the meeting isconcluded. Participants provide responses to the survey and theseresults can then be provided to the meeting organizer. This isparticularly useful for meetings in which the participants are unknownto the organizer, such as may be the case with the subscription-basedimplementations. The meeting organizer can configure and design thesurvey or select from default surveys provided as part of the virtualmeeting solution.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an application runningon a computer, mobile phone or similar device that can be used toautomatically launch a web-browser when receiving an incoming call fromthe virtual meeting solution. For instance, the application can detectcertain information within the caller-id that identifies the incomingcall as corresponding to a meeting. The application can thenautomatically launch the meeting application or launch in response tothe acceptance of the call. In certain implementations, the caller-idcan contain information useful for directing the web-browser to theappropriate meeting. For instance, the caller-id can contain a meetingidentification number recognized by the meeting-hosting server ascorresponding to the desired meeting. This can be supplemented oralternatively implemented using Short Messaging Service/MultimediaMessaging Service- (SMS/MMS) type messages to pass such data orautomatically launch a meeting.

Turning now to the figures, FIG. 1 depicts a virtual meeting systemdiagram consistent with an embodiment of the present disclosure.Conference server 102 provides a web-accessible virtual meetinginterface that can be accessed at remote participant locations 116, 118over a wide area network (WAN) 106, such as the Internet. Conferenceserver 102 provides audio, video, document sharing, desktop sharing andother aspects over WAN 106. Audio and other data can also be providedover standard telephone lines, such as a public switched telephonenetwork (PSTN) 104. In a particular implementation, the web-accessibleinterface is implemented such that it can run natively within standardweb-browsers. In particular, no installed application or plug-in isrequired other than the web-browser application itself. Specificimplementations provide such functionality through a Flash-basedweb-site application hosted by the conference server 102.

The conference server 102 can be implemented using one or more computerprocessors executing stored program instructions. The various functionscan be distributed or shared between multiple computers or implementedusing a single computer depending upon the constraints of the system.Thus, the conference server 102 could reside in several locationssimultaneously by, for instance, sharing functions between differentphysical computers.

Remote participant locations 116, 118 include one or more devices (e.g.,112, 120 and 124) for accessing meeting data from conference server 102.Although meeting participants can attend the meeting through audio-onlyconnections (e.g., over the phone or using a computer with VoIPcapabilities), the examples depicted in FIG. 1 include at least onecomputer 112, 124 with an associated web browser 114, 122. Thisimplementation provides participants full access to a suite of meetingcapabilities and options while running natively within a web browser.Running natively within a web browser can be particularly useful forparticipants that are traveling. Often such traveling participantsaccess the meeting application using computers that are provided byothers, e.g., public computers available in hotels or computers at acustomer location. Such computers need not have a software applicationor plug-ins installed to provide access to the virtual meeting solution.This native aspect can also be particularly useful for participants thatdo not have installation rights to a particular computer, such as issometimes the case for security and other reasons.

Within the web-browser application, connections can be established totransfer a variety of meeting information. For instance, audio (e.g.,VoIP) connections can be established should the computer have speakersand/or a microphone; video connections can be established should thecomputer have display and/or a camera; data connections can beestablished to share documents, chat functions and other data. Thevirtual meeting solution can use a variety of different protocols toestablish such connections. In various implementations, SessionInitiation Protocol (SIP) is used to setup and tear down connections forstreaming audio or video. The streaming data can be transmitted withinthe RTP, RTSP, RTMP (Real-Time Messaging protocol) and RTMPT (RTMPthrough HTTP Tunneling) protocols. A particular implementation attemptsto use one of RTP, RTSP or RTMP and, if unsuccessful due to a firewall,network address translation (NAT) or otherwise, uses RTMPT to establishan HTTP tunnel. This preference for a non-tunneling protocol can beuseful as the use of HTTP tunneling can introduce additional delay.

In certain implementations, the audio content can be communicated usingvarious telephonic devices including, but not limited to, landlinetelephones, cellular telephones and VoIP telephones. The virtual meetingsolution provides options for participations to call into the meeting orto have the virtual meeting solution actively call-out to theparticipants. For instance, a meeting organizer can select one or morepotential participants and instruct the conference server 102 to callthe participants. The conference server 102 attempts to contact theparticipants by using an associated telephone number (or IP address).Participants that respond are provided with audio content from themeeting. If desired, a brief introduction can be presented along withoptions for the user to accept or decline entrance into the meeting. Inconnect with the call, the potential participants can also be sentmeeting connection information (e.g., in the form of a website UniformResource Locator (URL)) for accessing other aspects of the meeting, suchas shared documents, video and chat functionality. This meetingconnection information can be sent using, as non-limiting examples,email, SMS or MMS.

FIG. 2 depicts a flow diagram for establishing and conducting a meeting,consistent with aspects of the present disclosure. The meeting organizercreates meeting 202. This can be implemented through an interface thatis implemented native to a web-browser. The meeting organizer sets themeeting parameters 204, which can include the time, length, meetingdescription, as well as other factors. Participants are added to themeeting 206. In a first implementation, the meeting organizer selectsand adds participants to the meeting. These participants can be selectedfrom an existing contact list, newly created contacts or specified insome other manner, such as by email address or telephone number. Inanother implementation, the participants can add themselves to themeeting. For instance, a meeting organizer may post details about themeeting on a meeting board that lists meetings. Participants that areinterested in the meeting can then subscribe to the meeting.

Meeting participants can be notified of the meeting details 208. Thenotification can be implemented using, for instance, email, SMS, MMS, acalendar invite and/or a voice mail message. When the meeting start timearrives 210 and/or the meeting organizer indicates that the meetingshould start, participants 224, 226, 228, 230, 232, 234, 236 areconnected to one another using the virtual meeting solution. Theparticipants can join the meeting by actively calling in to a telephonenumber (or IP address for VoIP connections) 220, 222 or can be called bythe virtual meeting solution. The ability to have multiple telephonecontact numbers can be particularly useful for meetings in whichparticipant are located in geographically disperse areas includingdifferent calling areas and/or countries. For instance, call in numberscan be provided that are local to the participants, such that longdistance or international call charges can be avoided/lessened for theparticipants.

The virtual meeting solution also provides the ability to share 212 avariety of content in addition to audio. In a particular implementation,the sharing is implemented using a web interface 218 that runs native toa web browser application. The shared content can include, among otherthings, video content, chat sessions, images, documents, shared view ofdesktop, shared view of individual windows and/or shared view ofportions of a desktop. Other aspects relate to the ability to provideshared control 214 over meeting functions and/or remote control of aparticipant's computer. For instance, one or more participants can begiven the authority to perform functions such as inviting or removingparticipants, sharing content and audio speaking rights. Moreover, aparticipant can give control over their computer to a remoteparticipant. This can be useful for allowing remote configuration,editing and display of content such as might be provided by aspreadsheet application.

The meeting completes 216 and terminates the connections betweenparticipants. Meeting completion can be indicated by the meetingorganizer, by all participants leaving the meeting or after a prescribedtime has been reached.

FIG. 3 depicts a data flow diagram for virtual meeting hostingimplementations involving multiple meetings, consistent with embodimentsof the present disclosure. Aspects of the virtual meeting solution takeadvantage of the ease with which meetings can be created and with whichthe meetings can be controlled. This can be particularly useful fororganically generated meetings that are not necessarily planned ahead oftime. Moreover, aspects are particularly useful for implementingmultiple simultaneous meetings, which can be structured according to ahierarchical meeting structure.

In one implementation a primary meeting 308 can be started with meetingparticipants 324, 326, 328, 330. This meeting can provide some or all ofthe various features of the present disclosure. Moreover, meetingparticipants may wish to establish meetings 306, 310 that include asubset of all the meeting participants of the primary meeting 308, oreven additional meeting participants 332 not otherwise part of theprimary meeting. These meetings are labeled as private meetings becausethey do not necessarily include each participant of the primary meeting.Moreover, the meeting organizer may have no knowledge of the privatemeeting. The participants have the freedom to establish the privatemeetings and, within the private meetings, to share information.

For instance, a primary meeting may be a relatively open/public meetinghaving many participants. In such an instance restrictions on sharing ofcontent may be placed on many of the participants (e.g., input from toomany participants could create a confusing and uncontrollableenvironment). These participants may still wish to share informationbetween one another while attending the primary meeting. The virtualmeeting solution provides the participants with the ability to establisha private meeting 306, 310 while still being part of the primary meeting308. The private meeting could provide the participants with the abilityto share information and to discuss topics being presented in theprimary meeting 308.

Another meeting type is referred to as a sub-meeting 302, 304. Thesub-meeting is conceptually different from a private meeting in that itis visible as a meeting from participants of the primary meeting andthat the control/setup and other aspects stem from the primary meeting.The participants 312, 314, 320, 322 of sub-meetings can each be commonto the primary meeting 308 or one or more can be new in the sense thatthey are not part of the primary meeting. As an example, a primarymeeting may be established for addressing a relatively broad subject.The participants of the primary meeting agree that the subject matter isbest addressed once solutions/answers are found for several differentsub-issues. Sub-meetings can then be formed to work on the identifiedissues and after the sub-meetings convene the primary meeting can resumegoing forward with the findings of the sub-meetings. The virtual meetingapplication is also flexible enough to allow for sub-groups to formadditional sub-groups therefrom. The primary meeting provides aninterface that lists the various sub-meetings and allows a meetingorganizer or other participants to select which, if any, sub-meetingsthey wish to join. In this manner, sub-meeting progress can be monitoredand findings of sub-groups can be shared by having participants movefrom between sub-meetings. Content (e.g., documents, chat transcriptsand other work product) from the sub-meetings can be shared with theprimary meeting participants. This allows for seamless transitioningbetween sub-meetings and the primary meetings.

An example implementation for the primary/sub-meeting hierarchicalstructure is a teaching session. The primary meeting can be lead by amain speaker/teacher. At times during the meeting groups of students canbe split into various sub-meetings to work on a problem associated withthe primary meeting/lecture. The sub-meetings could be lead by teachingassistants or by the students themselves. The main speaker/teacher caneasily move between sub-meetings to check on the status and to assist asneeded. Moreover, students can return to the primary meeting to askquestions of the main speaker/teacher.

Other aspects of the present disclosure relate to the option for aparticipant 324 to multicast the meeting to multicast subscribers 316,318. The content of the primary meeting 308, a private meeting 306, 310or a sub-meeting can be sent within the multicast stream. The multicaststream can be sourced from the participant's computer or from aconference server.

The virtual meeting solution also allows a meeting organizer to disablethe sharing capabilities for meeting participants. This can includelimitations on forming private or sub-meetings.

FIGS. 4-12 depict screen shots of various aspects of the virtual meetingthat can be provided to participants. Although not necessarily limitedto such an implementation, these aspects can be provided from aweb-driven application that runs natively within a web-browser.

FIG. 4 depicts a user interface related to selection of meeting details,consistent with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In oneembodiment, a meeting setup contains five steps 402: providing details,setting of options, selection of dial in numbers, adding of participantsand review of the meeting details. The options presented as part of thefirst step include, for instance, meeting title, meeting purpose,meeting description, meeting time/date, meeting time zone and whetherthe meeting repeats (e.g., daily, weekly or monthly). At any point inthe process of setting up a new meeting, the meeting can be saved as adraft. At a later time, the saved draft can be recovered and theremaining setup steps can be implemented.

FIG. 5 depicts a user interface that relates to setting of meetingoptions, consistent with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Themeeting options, as depicted in FIG. 5, include a few possibilities formeeting options. These options include enabling of chat functions andpresentation sharing. Other options relate to whether moderator presenceis required for the meeting, whether international dial outs are allowed(as toll charges might be assessed) and whether audio options forjoining are provided to participants that connect using a web-interface.Options are also provided for recording of the meeting content includingwhether or not it is allowed, whether the recording is announced when aparticipant joins and whether or not an announcement is played whenrecording starts or stops. Participant-specific options include mutingof all participants, allowing participants to invite others and whetherparticipants are requested to RSVP to a meeting invite. Announcementoptions include whether or not it should be announced when participantsjoin or leave a meeting. These options represent some of the possibleoptions that can be presented and are not limited to the variety ofoptions that can be provided to a meeting organizer.

FIG. 6 depicts a user interface that relates to selection of dial inmeeting number(s), consistent with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The options depicted in FIG. 6 shows two dial in numbers asoptions for selection. The suggested numbers can be presented based upondefault settings of the meeting organizer, meeting organizer location,cost or other factors. If desired, additional numbers can be added fromthe available numbers.

In another embodiment, the dial in numbers can be presented afterparticipants have been added. The virtual meeting solution can thenautomatically suggest dial in numbers based upon the locations of theparticipants.

FIG. 7 depicts a user interface that provides for the addition ofparticipants and the selection of a host and a moderator, consistentwith an embodiment of the present disclosure. Step four allows themeeting organizer to add participants to the meeting. The participantscan be manually entered, including adding such information as name,telephone number, email address and the like. Alternatively,participants can be added from a contact list. This contact list can bedirectly populated by the meeting organizer and by saving past manuallyentered participants to the contact list. The contact list can also beimported from existing programs, such as email contact lists. In aparticular implementation, the contact list can be maintained byaccessing an email server running an application, such as a Microsoftexchange server.

In addition to adding the participants, the host and moderator can beselected. In the configuration shown, the host is given permission toshare the desktop and to control which other participants can sharedesktop or other information. The moderator is given control overrecording functions, content sharing rights, and other meeting controls(e.g., adding, removing, or muting participants). An invitation messagecan also be provided to explain the details of the meeting to theinvited participants.

The review process (not shown) shows the details of the informationentered in steps 1-4 and provides the meeting organizer with theopportunity to confirm that the meeting is correctly configured.

FIG. 8 depicts a user interface for managing, viewing and configuringmeetings, consistent with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Theinterface includes a past meeting section that shows meetings that havealready occurred and concluded. In this section it is possible to selecta meeting and to retrieve information about the meeting. It is alsopossible to copy meeting information from a previous meeting and therebycreate a new meeting starting from the same meeting settings. Alsodisplayed and accessible in a similar manner are current meetings andfuture meetings.

A calendar area shows scheduled meetings, whether in the past, thefuture or the present. The calendar can also show events other thanvirtual meetings. These events can be added manually orimported/synchronized with an external calendaring program, such as aMicrosoft exchange server. A message area can also be provided. Messagescan include meeting invitations or communications between users of thevirtual meeting solution.

FIG. 9 depicts options for connecting to audio portions of a meeting,consistent with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Thenon-limiting implementation depicted in FIG. 9 provides a participantwith options when joining a meeting. For instance, a participant canchoose to connect through VoIP using the same computer as theweb-browser used to join the meeting or to have the meeting call theparticipant's telephone number. A third option is to not connect througheither of these options. A participant might choose this third option ifthey were calling into the meeting, if audio was not desired, or ifseveral people were sharing a speaker phone, but had individualcomputers.

FIG. 10 depicts an interface for an active meeting, consistent with anembodiment of the present disclosure. At the top of the page are tabsthat represent different interface screens, such as a home page (e.g.,FIG. 8) and one or more active meetings. FIG. 10 depicts one such tabfor an active meeting. A chat box area allows users to share textcommunications in real time. Also shown is a participant list that showswhich participants are currently in the meeting. In this instance, onlyone participant is currently in the meeting. A dial out selection optioncan be used to request that one or more participants be called so thatthey can join the meeting. This can be implemented by a simple click ofthe telephone icon. The corresponding participant telephone number isthen called. If desired, each participant can have multiple telephonenumbers, which can be selected based upon a user profile and/orsequentially called in the case that the participant is not able to bereached.

General meeting details are provided for viewing along with a contentsharing option. If a meeting host is sharing content, the content willappear in the tab for viewing by all participants. A host can beginsharing by clicking on the content sharing options.

FIG. 11 depicts an interface that is provided to allow for contentsharing, consistent with an embodiment of the present disclosure. When aparticipant that has sharing rights selects the content sharing option,they can be presented with several sharing options. For instance, theycan share their entire desktop, share a specified tab/application orshare content within a configurable/floating content sharing box. FIG.11 shows a content sharing box. This box can be moved and sized asdesired. When a content share presses the play option, whatever iswithin the box is shared with the meeting participants.

FIG. 12 shows an example use of the content sharing box, consistent withan embodiment of the present disclosure. The content sharing windowallows for certain parts of a document/window to be shared without therest being visible to the participants. Thus as shown, columns A, B andC and rows 1-29 would be shared, while data in other areas would not.This flexibility allows for simple control over what is shared to theparticipants. For instance, the sharing participant can see the entiredocument, but only share certain aspects. This can be particularlyuseful if the document contains confidential information or simply todraw the attention of the participants to only the shared area.

As discussed herein, it is also possible to share an entirewindow/application. The sharing participant selects a window from a listof currently available windows. The virtual meeting solution then sharesall viewable content of the selected window. In a particular embodiment,the adjustable content sharing window can be used in tandem with suchwindow sharing. The sharing participant again chooses to share aparticular window, but also uses an adjustable window to limit what isshared within the window. In this manner, there is a tiered sharingcontrol that limits sharing first to the selected window and thenfurther limited to selected portions therein. This can be particularlyuseful as a sharing participant may otherwise inadvertently switchwindows in a manner that changes what is shared using the adjustablecontent sharing window.

Consistent with a particular embodiment of the present disclosure,whiteboard-type functionality is provided to allow users tointeractively share content. This whiteboard feature allows users todynamically draw, highlight, underline or otherwise provide inputregarding shared content. For instance, using the whiteboard feature,the participants can highlight certain portions of presentations withfree-hand writing. The participants can control the size color andsensitivity of the highlighting tool. Whiteboard privileges can beeasily and quickly passed between participants. This can be very usefulin an online tutoring/classroom kind of environments. For instance,student participants can be given virtual opportunities to write on thewhiteboard, e.g., to point out aspects that are unclear to them, toexplain their understanding of shared content or as part of apresentation for the other students.

FIG. 13 shows an example of a virtual meeting architecture, consistentwith an embodiment of the present disclosure. Participants are allowedto access the virtual meeting solution through a web-interface 1302.Participants are identified and authenticated using a server 1306 (e.g.,virtual meeting portal). The authentication can be implemented, forexample, using an authentication server 1308, which can be implementedusing Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS). A server 1304(e.g., a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) server), controls andtracks participant data including, for instance, accounts data (e.g.,contact information, relationship history and revenue), customer serviceinformation, such as customer queries and complaints, activities formanaging individual and group calendars and e-mail, and reports fromcustomer data. In a particular implementation, the CRM server 1304 isimplemented using Oracle WebLogic software.

As discussed herein, various aspects of the virtual meeting solution canbe provided to the participants natively to a web browser usingFlash-based applications (e.g., Flash 10). These aspects can includeVoIP functions and other data communications. In one instance, theFlash-based applications are provided by one or more Flash servers 1310(e.g., Red5 open source servers).

A database server 1312 stores participant information, such as ordersand licensing status for various virtual meeting features. In aparticular implementation, database-server 1312 is implemented using anMS-SQL database. A CRM application server 1316 handles provisioning andconference data between multiple servers. Server 1316 accesses customerdata stored in a database server 1314. The server 1316 can beimplemented using various middleware, for example, Oracle Tuxedosoftware.

Provisioning server 1318 interacts with conference PBX server(s) 1320 toimplement real-time data connections between participants. The PBXserver(s) 1320 provide computer—telephone integration (CTI) functions.These functions, described in more detail herein, can include real-timemessaging and/or VoIP connections between computers, telephones,cellular phones and other communication devices. A file server 1322 canbe optionally implemented to provide meeting data recording, which canbe accessed at a later date by participants.

The specific software packages and arrangement of servers discussed anddepicted in connection with FIG. 13 provide a framework from whichvariations can be made. Thus, these aspects are not necessarilylimiting. For instance, server and database components can beimplemented as multiple computers, processors and memory devicesoperating in combination.

Aspects of the present invention are implemented using a variety ofprocessing circuits, logic, communications arrangements and combinationsthereof. Particular implementations use one or more specially configuredcomputer processors that execute instructions to perform one or more ofthe aspects discussed herein. Various portions can be implemented usingdiscrete or combinatorial logic, analog circuitry and using variousforms of tangible storage mediums.

The various embodiments described above are provided by way ofillustration only and should not be construed to limit the invention.Based upon the above discussion and illustrations, those skilled in theart will readily recognize that various modifications and changes may bemade to the present invention without strictly following the exemplaryembodiments and applications illustrated and described herein. Forexample, the methods, devices and systems discussed herein may beimplemented in connection with a variety of technologies such as thoseinvolving home computers, servers, laptops, cellular phones, personaldigital assistants, iPhones®, Blackberries® and the like. The inventionmay also be implemented using a variety of approaches such as thoseinvolving coordinated communications for public access. Suchmodifications and changes do not depart from the true spirit and scopeof the present invention, including that set forth in the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a webserver that includesone or more computer processors and a memory circuit storinginstructions configured to: receive subscription requests to publishedmeeting groups via input from individuals and meeting scheduling data,including meeting start times, for meetings associated with meetingsgroups, the subscription requests including call profiles forindividuals subscribed to the meeting groups, wherein the call profilesinclude auto-retry parameters, the auto-retry parameters including atime interval between retries after failing to reach a respectiveindividual, a number of retries, and at least one alternative number tocall; and provide meeting notifications and a virtual meeting interfaceaccessible by individuals participating in at least one of the meetingswherein the virtual meeting interface includes options for startingsub-meetings from individuals in a primary meeting and displays a listof sub-meetings that were started from the primary meeting; a conferenceprivate branch exchange (PBX) server that includes one or more computerprocessors and a memory circuit storing instructions configured to:send, in response to an occurrence of at least one of the meeting starttimes, meeting invitations to individuals subscribed to a correspondingmeeting group, by actively calling the participants or providing aprompt to call into the meeting to each of the individuals subscribed atthe respective meeting start time; merge audio for the individualssubscribed to a corresponding meeting group; provide, to the subscribedindividuals, meeting content that includes the merged audio and othermeeting content including media content identified via input receivedfrom a respective subscribed individual, the input identifying the mediacontent to exclude from being displayed to other subscribed individuals;move individuals between the sub-meetings based upon a selection fromthe list of sub-meetings; generate a multicast stream containing asubset of the meeting content for display which excludes the mediacontent from at least a subset of the subscribed individuals; and anapplication server that includes one or more computer processors and amemory circuit storing instructions configured to provide applicationsto users of the virtual meeting interface, the applications providingvoice over internet protocol (VoIP) functions.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein the webserver is further configured to send, in response toreceiving the meeting scheduling data, the meeting notifications basedupon a determination of which individuals are subscribed to a meetinggroup corresponding to a particular meeting.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the virtual meeting interface includes options for bringingcontent from sub-meetings back to the primary meetings, and wherein thewebserver is further configured to: publish meeting groups for view byindividuals; and receive subscription requests to the meeting groups forthe individuals.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual meetinginterface includes options for starting private-meetings for individualsin a primary meeting; and the conference PBX server is configured toprovide, for individuals in a private-meeting, audio from both theprimary meeting and the private-meeting.
 5. The system of claim 1,wherein the conference PBX server is further configured to send meetingconnection information with the meeting invitation using an email orother message with the automatic call.
 6. The system of claim 1, whereinthe conference PBX server is further configured to call the individualswhile modifying caller identification (ID) information to include ameeting identification code that is indicative of information about themeeting.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the conference PBX server isfurther configured to allow an originator of the multicast to addcontent, that is not in the particular meeting, to the multicast stream.8. The system of claim 1, wherein the conference PBX server is furtherconfigured to identify a particular individual subscribed to twocorresponding meeting groups with two meetings simultaneously, and inresponse, merge audio from the two meetings into a single audiotransmission.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the conference PBXserver is further configured to: send the meeting invitations byautomatically calling the individuals subscribed to the correspondingmeeting group at a respective meeting start time via an associatedtelephone number or IP address; and provide individuals that respond tothe call with audio content for the meeting.
 10. The system of claim 1,the input including an adjustable window that limits a window to shareand limits what is shared within the window.
 11. The system of claim 1,wherein the conference PBX server is configured to selectively controlaccess rights for individuals subscribed to the corresponding meetinggroup based on assigned rights to the individuals.
 12. A methodcomprising: using a webserver, that includes one or more computerprocessors and a memory circuit storing instructions, to: receivesubscription requests to meeting groups for individuals, thesubscription requests including call profiles for the individuals,wherein the call profiles include auto-retry parameters, the auto-retryparameters including a time interval between retries after failing toreach a respective individual a number of retries, and at least onealternative number to call; receive meeting scheduling data, includingmeeting start times, for meetings associated with the meetings groups;and provide a virtual meeting interface to individuals participating inat least one of the meetings in response to receiving the meetingscheduling data wherein the virtual meeting interface includes optionsfor starting sub-meetings from individuals in a primary meeting anddisplays a list of sub-meetings that were started from the primarymeeting; using a conference private branch exchange (PBX) server, thatincludes one or more computer processors and a memory circuit storinginstructions, to: send, in response to an occurrence of at least one ofthe meeting start times, meeting invitations to individuals subscribedto a corresponding meeting group; merge audio for the individualssubscribed to a corresponding meeting group; move individuals betweenthe sub-meetings based upon a selection from the list of sub-meetings;provide, to the subscribed individuals, meeting content that includesthe merged audio and other meeting content including media contentidentified via input received from a respective subscribed individual,the input identifying media content to exclude from being displayed toother subscribed individuals; and generate a multicast stream containinga subset of the meeting content for display and which excludes the mediacontent from at least a subset of the subscribed individuals; and usingan application server, that includes one or more computer processors anda memory circuit storing instructions, to provide applications to usersof the virtual meeting interface, the applications providing voice overinternet protocol (VoIP) functions.
 13. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising: developing a contact list for the corresponding meetinggroup by accessing social media websites and exporting contactinformation for the subscribed individuals from the social mediawebsites; and starting, in response to selection of virtual meetinginterface options, sub-meetings from individuals in a primary meeting.14. The system of claim 1, wherein the conference PBX server is furtherconfigured to, in response to the occurrence of at least one of themeeting start times, place a telephone call to at least one individualidentified by the meeting scheduling data.
 15. The system of claim 14,wherein the conference PBX server is further configured to accessinformation in the call profile for the at least one individualidentified by the meeting scheduling data, the call profile including aplurality of telephone numbers for the at least one individual; and theplacing of the telephone call to the at least one individual includesselecting one of the plurality of telephone numbers based on factorsindicated in the call profile for the at least one individual; andinitiating a telephone call to the selected telephone number.
 16. Themethod of claim 12, further including using the conference PBX server,to control rights for individuals subscribed to the correspondingmeeting group based on assigned rights to the individuals and using thewebserver to: publish meeting groups for view by individuals; and send,in response to receiving the meeting scheduling data, meetingnotifications based upon a determination of which individuals aresubscribed to a meeting group corresponding to a particular meeting. 17.The method of claim 16, further including using the webserver toestablish different control profiles that establish the assigned rights,wherein the assigned rights include: allowing full audio rights to afirst set of the individuals; and allowing limited or no audio rights toa second set of the individuals.
 18. The method of claim 16, furtherincluding using the webserver to establish different control profilesthat establish the assigned rights, wherein the assigned rights includeallowing an individual to invite new participants and/or granting removecontrol to the individual over another individual's computer.